At Cannes: Textappeal & Columbus Show that Digital Campaigns Also Need Local Touch


RETURN TO INTERNATIONALIST HOME PAGE	At Cannes: Textappeal & Columbus Show that Digital Campaigns Also Need Local Touch According to Elliot Polak, Founder and CEO of Textappeal, "The web is as 'hyper-local' as it is 'super-global'." This idea was further illustrated by a new global study, jointly created by cross-cultural marketing agency Textappeal and international media network Columbus Media, called Digital Across Cultures. Speaking on Sunday as part of the Cannes Lions Ad Festival seminar series, Polak emphasized that creative digital thinking needs a local touch. "Brands that demonstrate a deeper understanding of those local mores that can help or hinder their digital campaigns will achieve greater success.” Digital Across Cultures looked at the world's top 50 digital marketing campaigns, selected from over 500 examples from 100 countries. Well-known digital programs, like Volkswagen's "Fun Theory" and the World Wildlife Fund's "Earth Hour Around the World,"underscore how brands can achieve consumer engagement by highlighting concepts that transcended national and cultural boundaries. Yet, other digital examples, such as NIVEA for Men and Johnson & Johnson's No More Tears, demonstrate how regional nuances or even local idiosyncrasies can be used in the creation or the execution of a campaign to increase its relevance. Kate Williams, European Managing Director of Columbus Media, emphasized, "Digital marketing is the only global platform that has individual reach." She noted how themes of friendship and community were common among the top digital campaign examples cited in the study, but added that "even universal ideas require local understanding." "The nature of how friendships are formed, how communities connect and how groups interact can vary significantly across different regions. In addition to understanding each market's media landscape-- plus the technology and variety of available platforms-- brands need to be acutely aware of local behavior if they want to succeed on a local and international level." Digital Across Cultures looked offered five recommendations for creating successful campaigns based on the trends found among the survey’s top 50 digital best practice examples: Push the Boundary: Bring the brand proposition to life with digital techniques that reflect its personality. Also exceed the limits previously imposed by non-digital advertising formats. Find What's Fun: Engage consumers with entertainment sites and games that subtly add value and convert advertising into content. Make Sense: Enhance brand values by building on meaningful ideas. Mix style and imagination with universally relevant themes. Tell a Story: Particularly one that captures the collective imagination, and creates a natural, unstoppable momentum. Go 'hyperlocal': Take a global concept, add local knowledge, understanding and talent, to make it locally (and individually) relevant. A note on Methodology: Textappeal asked their 1470 local marketing strategists and copywriters across the world to find the most creative and effective digital campaigns that have achieved global success. Columbus Media consulted with their 28 partner agencies in Argentina, the Baltics, Brazil, Germany, Greece, Puerto Rico, Singapore the UK and the USA. The combined results established the broad universe of work from which 50 top examples were chosen.

Elliot Polak

Kate Williams

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At Cannes: Textappeal & Columbus Show that Digital Campaigns Also Need Local Touch

According to Elliot Polak, Founder and CEO of Textappeal, "The web is as 'hyper-local' as it is 'super-global'."

This idea was further illustrated by a new global study, jointly created by cross-cultural marketing agency Textappeal and international media network Columbus Media, called Digital Across Cultures. Speaking on Sunday as part of the Cannes Lions Ad Festival seminar series, Polak emphasized that creative digital thinking needs a local touch. "Brands that demonstrate a deeper understanding of those local mores that can help or hinder their digital campaigns will achieve greater success.”

Digital Across Cultures looked at the world's top 50 digital marketing campaigns, selected from over 500 examples from 100 countries. Well-known digital programs, like Volkswagen's "Fun Theory" and the World Wildlife Fund's "Earth Hour Around the World,"underscore how brands can achieve consumer engagement by highlighting concepts that transcended national and cultural boundaries. Yet, other digital examples, such as NIVEA for Men and Johnson & Johnson's No More Tears, demonstrate how regional nuances or even local idiosyncrasies can be used in the creation or the execution of a campaign to increase its relevance.

Kate Williams, European Managing Director of Columbus Media, emphasized, "Digital marketing is the only global platform that has individual reach." She noted how themes of friendship and community were common among the top digital campaign examples cited in the study, but added that "even universal ideas require local understanding."

"The nature of how friendships are formed, how communities connect and how groups interact can vary significantly across different regions. In addition to understanding each market's media landscape-- plus the technology and variety of available platforms-- brands need to be acutely aware of local behavior if they want to succeed on a local and international level."

Digital Across Cultures looked offered five recommendations for creating successful campaigns based on the trends found among the survey’s top 50 digital best practice examples:

Push the Boundary: Bring the brand proposition to life with digital techniques that reflect its personality. Also exceed the limits previously imposed by non-digital advertising formats.
Find What's Fun: Engage consumers with entertainment sites and games that subtly add value and convert advertising into content.
Make Sense: Enhance brand values by building on meaningful ideas. Mix style and imagination with universally relevant themes.
Tell a Story: Particularly one that captures the collective imagination, and creates a natural, unstoppable momentum.
Go 'hyperlocal': Take a global concept, add local knowledge, understanding and talent, to make it locally (and individually) relevant.

A note on Methodology: Textappeal asked their 1470 local marketing strategists and copywriters across the world to find the most creative and effective digital campaigns that have achieved global success. Columbus Media consulted with their 28 partner agencies in Argentina, the Baltics, Brazil, Germany, Greece, Puerto Rico, Singapore the UK and the USA. The combined results established the broad universe of work from which 50 top examples were chosen.